Greg McElroy calls out UKs D Line and Matt Elam
- Thread starter screwduke1
- Start date
I don't think he is lying about it. Elam has not shown he is a good DL on anything I have seen. I am hoping for him to reach his potental this year, but I will have to see it on the field...
GBB
GBB
Elam is a lost cause. After that sr year high school he packed on an extra 45 pounds and got lazy.
I hope Matt sees that and watches it everyday til the season. Greg is completely correct and fair in everything he said. You gotta step up at some point or move on
Hopefully this will motivate him to prove the naysayers wrong. Coach Stoops even said in the PC at the Gov.'s Cup Luncheon that it's now or never for Matt.
Does he have it in him to be a major player?
Does he have it in him to be a major player?
I wish I could defend Matt and take his side, but McElroy is spot on. Elam is very lazy. Each snap
last year he would come out of his stance and the offensive linemen would easily push him back like he wasn't even there. Teams ran to Elams side of the field.
last year he would come out of his stance and the offensive linemen would easily push him back like he wasn't even there. Teams ran to Elams side of the field.
I hoped for the best last year. He dropped lots of weight and I believed he had finally understood what he was giving up, but then he continued to do nothing. He was a waste of space out there. Can't move, gets pushed around, it was embarrassing. By the end of the year he looked like he had put his weight back on. Rather than putting his nose down and grinding, he gave up.
Next man up...
Next man up...
Agree. Like it or not, I can't see anything wrong with what Greg McElroy stated when called out UKs D Line and Matt Elam in particular. If the team doesn't like what was stated, do something about it. Change the narrative!
I wonder why a commentator feels the need to single out a player who is not otherwise well-known. I can understand calling out a star player who is receiving a lot of pub or is otherwise nationally known, but find it odd that he brings up a player that most people outside of Kentucky would not know. I suspect even most Bama fans don't remember or never knew the name Matt Elam. This is an issue only in Kentucky. For an ESPN announcer to single Matt out for a national audience just surprises me. I would not have expected Greg to ever mention Matt's name unless he was calling a game and commenting on a play or a replay.
I am certainly not going to "defend' Matt but I have reached the point I feel sorry for him. As noted in another of the seeming endless Matt Elam threads it is not his fault he was greatly overrated as a player coming out of HS. It happens.
To that end, he has never shown any real talent and that is probably not going to change this year. But EVERY year there are guys on just about EVERY team that "do not play to expectations". If Matt does have that proverbial "break out year", great. Otherwise, you simply accept things as they are and go on with the other ones you have in the DL. JMO
Peace
To that end, he has never shown any real talent and that is probably not going to change this year. But EVERY year there are guys on just about EVERY team that "do not play to expectations". If Matt does have that proverbial "break out year", great. Otherwise, you simply accept things as they are and go on with the other ones you have in the DL. JMO
Peace
Bama fans certainly know who he is, they talk about him on Bama boards whenever he's brought up. They're very glad he picked U.K. and not them, they think they dodged a bullet. Which they did.
We agree on this. UK fans have four stomachs when it comes to chewing and re-chewing and chewing such stories over and over again. Let it lie. As if there is a real debate.
mcelroy can kiss my bb arse.or saben's or both
letstoops handle his team f-bama
I doubt a Bama fan feels the "dodged a bullet." They have had their shares of busts over the years. The difference is that they have 3-4 stars that cover the spot and no one ever sees the impact of the bust. UK does not have the layers to cover unexpected injuries, busts, or casualties of academics, homesickness, etc. Bama fans don't dodge bullets. They shoot them. Their guns are loaded.
Fair point but I'm just using their own words that they post in UK threads on another site. Not mine. Bama certainly can replace Elam easier than we can.
Elam should be a fullback.
. Lazy or not lets get something out of him. Put him in on goaline plays from 1 yard out.
. Lazy or not lets get something out of him. Put him in on goaline plays from 1 yard out.
Sorry the truth has been clear for over 3 years now. A total waste of a scholarship. He needed to red-shirt as a Freshman and arriving at UK tipping the scales at almost 400 pounds! It's all on his lack of will power!
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Hate to see Matt just being a bust. He would not lasted 1 year at Bama, if played like he has here.
Hate to see it, but that's what it is. If he doesn't have the heart to be on the d-line (and so far, he's shown that he doesn't have it), I think you need to put him somewhere else and use him in an unconventional way. Hell, Baylor had a 400 pound TE/GL FB, and that worked out. Even made him popular with the media.
He's right about our WR's also. No go-to guy. Baker should be, but is so inconsistent. Badet & Timmons weren't either, but with then out of the way, perhaps someone(s) can step up.
As I said elsewhere, DL is what separates average/good/great teams.
As I said elsewhere, DL is what separates average/good/great teams.
A waste of a scholly should have been RSed? Makes no sense to me.
Hopefully it improves this year, but it won't be great - I hope I have to eat those words. But if that's given, we need to win the number of O plays run battle over & over.
Not a single thing wrong with what GMac said. He's 100% correct. Don't like it DL....sack up!
Looks like he is still listed as second string, and those guys are needed also, so he is not a ''total waste" of a scholarship, why isn't everyone jumping all over the third string guy for not being good enough to replace him? And of course he might be replaced by the end of the year.
IIRC Saban himself said at the time he was recruiting him that he was the best tackle he had seen (and in light of what has happened I assume he was talking about in that class) so our coaches weren't out of line in wanting to sign him.
And I still say that getting a DL that well thought of helped that recruiting class quite a bit, it was a big win at the time.
I hope he does do his best this year, for himself and the team, whatever that best is.
Had he gone to Bama, Saban would have made a player out of him, or put him packing. He would not have put up with his laziness. Saban doesn't hit a home run on every recruit, but when he doesn't, he gets rid of them.
OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!
No, Matt dodged the bullet by not picking Bama, he would be gone, either JUCO or out of football. While he hasn't lived up to expectations on the field, hopefully he has or will shortly get his degree, UK stood by him and giving him that opportunity. Bama would not.
But anyone who watched his tape who knows anything about DL play knew he was very raw and overweight, but felt he was worth the risk of learning the position,, technique and fundamentals pulse getting in shape. None of that really happened, maybe he didn't put the 100% effort in, maybe he just isn't athletic enough, he has very limited flexibility and explosion. Seems like a good guy and if he gets that degree he will be ok.
This
Sure he could have worked harder (we think, we don't know the work he has put I these past 3 years with school and the team), but the fact is he never really had the potential that was put on him. He was cursed with such freakish size that a lot of real football people including Nick Saban thought he has to be somebody we can use. But the truth is at the major college level even his mammoth size is nor enough to be effective without the agility to use it. He just doesn't have the build and agility to be effective. It sounds good on paper to see 6-7. 350 but at nose guard he would have been much better off being 6-2 320 with a bigger bottom than top instead of the other way around.
The unfortunate truth is he just isn't made to be a good nose tackle no matter what weight he was at . Sure it would have helped if he lost 40 but he still doesn't have the lower leverage and sideways agility to do it.
......and. Trust me Matt knows and UK have found that outvote hard way and I'm sure it hurts him to realize that everyday. And the shame of it all is..... Here is a Kentucky kid who turned down all others when even he thought he could have gone bigger, and went to his hometown school with a dream that has crashed and instead of looking forward to graduating with the pride of playing for you state school and helping bring them back all he can look forward to is more derisive comments every time his name is brought up even after he is gone. That's why it was wrong for McElroy to say it the way he did. He doesn't know how much Matt is trying or if he is just doing about all he can do. Either way it's not worth putting that on a kid for all I can see has been nothing but a model teammate and Wildcat.
i agree and I also feel for Matt and think McElroy was out of line to do that the way he did. He and others need to step back and put themselves in Matts shoes just for a second. Don't you think of all the people in the world that are disappointed about how things have turned out for him that Matt is at the top of the list. Think about it. He went from a highly touted recruit that had the world talking about him and a dream of everything in his future and now all of that is gone. And on top of that he has to deal with folks not just being disappointed but cutting him down over and over.
Sure he could have worked harder (we think, we don't know the work he has put I these past 3 years with school and the team), but the fact is he never really had the potential that was put on him. He was cursed with such freakish size that a lot of real football people including Nick Saban thought he has to be somebody we can use. But the truth is at the major college level even his mammoth size is nor enough to be effective without the agility to use it. He just doesn't have the build and agility to be effective. It sounds good on paper to see 6-7. 350 but at nose guard he would have been much better off being 6-2 320 with a bigger bottom than top instead of the other way around.
The unfortunate truth is he just isn't made to be a good nose tackle no matter what weight he was at . Sure it would have helped if he lost 40 but he still doesn't have the lower leverage and sideways agility to do it.
......and. Trust me Matt knows and UK have found that outvote hard way and I'm sure it hurts him to realize that everyday. And the shame of it all is..... Here is a Kentucky kid who turned down all others when even he thought he could have gone bigger, and went to his hometown school with a dream that has crashed and instead of looking forward to graduating with the pride of playing for you state school and helping bring them back all he can look forward to is more derisive comments every time his name is brought up even after he is gone. That's why it was wrong for McElroy to say it the way he did. He doesn't know how much Matt is trying or if he is just doing about all he can do. Either way it's not worth putting that on a kid for all I can see has been nothing but a model teammate and Wildcat.
You hit it at the end Grump. He really is just to inflexible it looks like he isn't trying but some of that is because he can't do what we are all wanting him to do. He just isn't agile or flexible and because he is built top heavy and narrow at the bottom he can't get leverage either which is CRITICAL at his position. Top heavy, weak base and 6-7 ...... Not going to work. That's why I feel for him. I've been frustrated with him too the first couple years but then I realized he just isn't what everybody thought he was.
He has always seemed like a great teammate and someone who truly loves UK. I have seen him help up opposing players. Even in the face of constant scrutiny and criticism, he seems to have remained true to who he is. That is unusual in this or any age. I would call that an emblem of strength. Most people have never faced public adversity. It changes people. I don't see that in Matt. I hope I am correct from this poor vantage point.
What!? What!?....feel bad and put yourself in a Matt Elam's shoe! The kid is lazy! No effort what so ever in 3 years!....now year 4, he does something miraculous? Give me a break....we've seen 2/3 stars kids come through the program last 10-12 years, now in the NFL. Why? Because they worked their a arse off! Elam 4/5 star....pass...
I don't think this is a case of Elam being lazy and underachieving. I think it is a case of Elam being greatly overrated coming out of high school and ending up playing to his true level of capability. For the life of me, I'll never know why some of the recruiting sites had him listed as a 4 or 5 star. He was a big kid playing against weak competition and suddenly many were christening him the next Mount Cody.
Due to his lofty ranking, he came in with very high expectations. Fans thought he might be able to contribute immediately. And most thought he would ultimately become a stud. Rivals was one of the few recruiting services who actually did a decent job of rating Elam. I believe he was a 5.6 rated 3 star here on Rivals and that is much more in line with where Elam should have been rated based on actual abilities. And even that was being a bit generous in hindsight.
I feel bad for Elam. I don't for one minute buy that he is lazy or disinterested. He is well liked by the coaches and his teammates. I'm sure the guy does his best. The problem is his best just isn't good enough to match the 5 star recruit ranking that Scout or 247 (or whoever it was) bestowed him with. If anyone was lazy or underachieving, it was the analyst who rated him a 5 star recruit in the first place.
Due to his lofty ranking, he came in with very high expectations. Fans thought he might be able to contribute immediately. And most thought he would ultimately become a stud. Rivals was one of the few recruiting services who actually did a decent job of rating Elam. I believe he was a 5.6 rated 3 star here on Rivals and that is much more in line with where Elam should have been rated based on actual abilities. And even that was being a bit generous in hindsight.
I feel bad for Elam. I don't for one minute buy that he is lazy or disinterested. He is well liked by the coaches and his teammates. I'm sure the guy does his best. The problem is his best just isn't good enough to match the 5 star recruit ranking that Scout or 247 (or whoever it was) bestowed him with. If anyone was lazy or underachieving, it was the analyst who rated him a 5 star recruit in the first place.
Right, Elam has at best been an average player. Preseason depth chart has him listed as a backup to Naquez Pringle. Lets hope the new D-line coach LeBlanc can instill some ferociousness. I also agree that Elam may have been overrated. High school football in Kentucky is a far cry from the SEC.
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